Sens. Cornyn, Klobuchar Introduce Bill To Stop Sale Of Murderabilia

Press Release

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and former Texas Attorney General, today introduced bipartisan legislation to protect victims' rights and combat a growing exploitation of criminal activity known as "Murderabilia." U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-MN, also a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, is the lead Democrat cosponsor of the Stop the Sale of Murderabilia to Protect the Dignity of Crime Victims Act of 2010.

Internet sites nationwide now thrive off of the sale of Murderabilia, including items such as hair samples, blood, clothing, letters, artwork, and other goods bearing the mark or signature of a criminal. And the more notorious the criminal, the higher the price of Murderabilia items associated with that criminal.

The Stop the Sale of Murderabilia to Protect the Dignity of Crime Victims Act of 2010 seeks to cripple the Murderabilia industry by preventing prisoners from mailing any object the prisoner intends to be sold in interstate commerce. The bill provides a civil remedy to Murderabilia victims, allowing them to recover injunctive relief, damages, and reasonable attorney's fees from violators of the bill and removing the financial incentive for prisoners to sell Murderabilia. Sen. Cornyn introduced a previous version of this legislation in 2007.

"It is reprehensible that criminals who are supposed to be paying their debt to society are exploiting their notoriety and profiting from their deplorable crimes," said Sen. Cornyn. "Even more tragic is the effect this practice has on crime victims and their families, many of whom have already suffered immeasurably. These Murderabilia sales slow the healing process and re-open old wounds, and I intend to push this legislation until this despicable industry becomes extinct."

"As a former prosecutor, I know firsthand what it is like to work with families who have lost loved ones to violent crimes. Criminals that commit these violent crimes shouldn't be able to further profit from their acts by selling items that wouldn't have any value except for the notoriety of the seller. I'm glad to work with Senator Cornyn on this issue, and proud to continue fighting for crime victims," said Sen. Klobuchar.

"You should not be able to rob, rape and murder and turn around and make a buck off of it. This is an insidious, despicable industry that quite frankly is nothing but blood money," said Andy Kahan, Director of Houston Mayor Annise Parker's Crime Victims Office. Kahan has been fighting the sale of Murderabilia for the past decade and was responsible for EBAY's decision to ban the sale of Murderabilia through its online auctions.

Sen. Cornyn announced the introduction of his legislation at a press conference in Houston on Friday, June 4, 2010. He was joined by Houston Mayor Parker and representatives from her Crime Victims Office. Also joining Sen. Cornyn and Mayor Parker was Louvon Harris, the sister of James Byrd Jr., who was murdered in Jasper in 1998 by white supremacists. This coming week marks the 12th anniversary of Mr. Byrd's murder, which was one of the cases that gave rise to the hate crimes law in Texas and the federal hate crimes law. In April, a Murderabilia web site attempted to sell dirt from Mr. Byrd's gravesite, as well as a piece of the road on which he was killed. Although the seller of these items eventually removed them from his web site under pressure, his attempted sale of the items demonstrates that Murderabilia trading remains a serious problem that causes emotional suffering to victims' families.

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